Novel Manufacturing Tools and Methods Photo Gallery

A powder-coated particle shows defects, including a pore in the center and a satellite on the outsider left. Manufacturing spherical, defect-free powders is key to producing final parts with enhanced properties through powder additive manufacturing.

UCLA is developing a low-temperature, ultra-high-vacuum atomic force and scanning tunneling microscope to target individual atoms in order to create a defect-free material.

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy image of nanoscale oxide inclusion in thermoelectric material. Thermoelectric materials create a voltage when there is a different temperature on each side. Hence, they can be designed to directly convert temperature differences to electric. The materials depicted here will be additively manufactured into energy storage and other devices via laser-powder bed fusion AM process.

Composite image from transmission electron microscopy and chemical mapping of an additively manufactured alloy, designed to determine which elements and the amounts needed for the desired properties.

Super-resolution light microscopy can be used to study DNA origami devices. The upper image shows a schematic and the lower image shows the DNA origami.

3D render of a stepper motor based on the “DNA origami” design principle, along with a transmission electron microscopy image showing the building of slider and the rail, two sub-units of the motor.

A new alloy for 3D printing, which exhibits exceptional properties at elevated temperatures from microstructures formed during printing.